


A Little More Sugar, Please

by jessequicksters



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Baking, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, pining Archie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-05-23
Packaged: 2020-03-13 04:51:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18933787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessequicksters/pseuds/jessequicksters
Summary: Archie and Mad Dog bake cupcakes for a party. Turns out, there's more than just batter rising in the oven.(Feelings, there are feelings rising, too.)





	A Little More Sugar, Please

“You’re going to get yourself killed one day, Red.”

Mad Dog stares at him from across the room, knife in his hand. Archie gulps, the red juice dripping down from his chin and onto his bare chest. He even managed to squirt some into his eye, somehow, and it stings. Mad Dog sets the knife down and shakes his head, coming over to wipe the messy drip of raspberry flavouring from Archie’s face.

“Ronnie used to do all this stuff. I wanted to do something nice—for all of us.”

Mad Dog dabs the towel on Archie’s chest, as he feels himself still for a moment. A quick beat, the rise of an exhale as he looks at his friend tending to him. He’s taken a few hits this week after three consecutive fights. His mother convinced him to take the next week off since it’s the first week of summer and they should all be doing something nice.

“Well, I can’t say that I know too much about how high-school parties go, so I’ll just have to trust you on that.”

Mad Dog leans against the counter and dips a finger into the bowl of icing Archie’s been whipping up.

“It’s still—” Archie tries to warn him, but he watches as his face turns sour.

“Damn, Archie. Did you beat a whole lemon tree into the frosting?”

Archie laughs and tries to take the bowl back, whisk in hand to create some semblance of control over the situation. Mad Dog just shakes his head and dumps more of the powdered sugar into the mix.

“Never took a kitchen shift at juvie, did you?”

“Can’t say I did,” Archie shrugs sheepishly, continuing to stir the mix.

“We used to smuggle in some treats every now and then. When I was still new, before the warden put me up to all that shit, I was eager to make friends.”

“Really?”

“We all show different sides of ourselves at different points in life.” He tastes the mix, nods and smiles. “It’s better now. Try it.”

Archie does as he’s told, licking the thick sugar from his finger. He notices that Mad Dog watches as he sucks the tip clean, eyes trailing as he wipes it off on a napkin.

“It’s good. Veronica wanted red frosting, though.”

Mad Dog chuckles. “She always wants some red.”

Archie feels like he’s standing at a crossroads, feeling some type of way he’s not exactly used to. It’s been a while since he’s had a helpless crush, and this is what it all boils down to in the end. They’ve been spending so much time together lately outside of the gym. At first, Archie was just extending a favor to a friend who wanted to get acclimatized to Riverdale again. But Riverdale was anything but simple, as they’ve come to realize. Things are never the way they seem in Riverdale.

Mad Dog may not be getting used to Riverdale just yet, but Archie sure is getting used to him. And the feeling might as well be reciprocated.

He knows how this goes with girls, inside and out. He knows to notice the way they laugh, smile, or tilt their head in some way when they’re trying to make a point. In all fairness, though, most of the girls he’s been with have been quite forward about their intentions with him.

With Mad Dog, it’s different. He’s a little more reserved and protective of what goes on inside, which Archie can respect as someone who’s been screwed over again and again. He understands that. They understand each other, with wordless actions and a bond of trust. How could they not?

“So,” Mad Dog cuts through the silence, popping the tray of cupcakes inside the oven, setting the timer. “You sure I don’t need to bring anything to the party tonight?”

Archie shakes his head. “Everyone’s excited to see you there. You’re enough.”

 _You’re more than enough_ , he wants to say.

He nods as Archie comes closer. “What’s wrong?” 

Mad Dog shrugs, fiddling with the oven mitts. Archie takes them from him and throws them on the table. He’s nervous. He doesn’t need to say it, but Archie knows. Even though he’s been introduced to Jughead, Veronica and a little bit of Betty after the whole Gryphons and Gargoyles fiasco, he’s never actually joined them in an occasion that called for fun.

“Ronnie’s not expecting you to go on stage or anything,” Archie says. “If that’s what you’re scared of.” 

Mad Dog laughs, eyes beaming. “Well, I am glad. What about you? Singing with that Josie girl in the end?”

“Nah. She’s got a solo set tonight. I’d rather relax this time. Sit back, you know, take it all in. It’s been a while since I’ve had time to breathe amidst all this crazy stuff going on. I want to feel normal for once.”

“I’ve given up on normal a long time ago.” Mad Dog drops his gaze.

Archie notices that the setting on the oven is far too hot to be baking cupcakes. It’s about the only thing he remembers from his days with Veronica. He’d burned one too many cakes for the memories not to be seared into his mind. 

He leans over to try to reach for the dial but bumps into Mad Dog’s chest instead. 

“Sorry,” Mad Dog says, shuffling to the side, as Archie also side-steps in the same direction.

“It’s fine.”

He manages to turn the dial and with a _click_ , they’re back on the right temperature again.

Face-to-face with Mad Dog, up close, there’s a moment where Archie thinks that he’s taken his indulgences too far. He shouldn’t be thinking these things about one of his most loyal friends, a person who has been nothing but honest and open with him about everything, who risked his life for him more times than one.

If Archie can’t even be honest with that person, then what good is their friendship?

“You okay, Red?” Mad Dog says in a soft voice.

Archie’s never really been good with his words. He knows how to use his fists and his voice, but when it comes to feelings, most of them just simmer under the surface until someone drags it out of him. He doesn’t want to make him do that. He owes him at least that much.

“I—uh, I don’t actually know how to say this,” Archie trails off. Mad Dog’s gaze is curious now, with no discernable signs of objections.

His laugh sounds a little shaky as it comes out. “What’s this about, Arch?”

Before his lips move, he hears the sound of a car pulling up in the driveway and a loud honk. They turn their heads towards the window to see Archie’s dad, coming out of the car with a bag of groceries, along with big bottles of soda for the party tonight.

“Archie! Could you give me a hand with this stuff?”

He realizes that the kitchen windows are open. His dad’s head is buried under the hood of the car for the time being, and Archie realizes that the moment’s already halfway gone.

He looks back at Mad Dog and feels a type of excitement that doesn’t come often. It flutters in waves in his stomach and all the way up to his chest, and it’s almost impossible to ignore anymore.

So Archie leans in, tilts his head up and kisses his friend—who, if he’s still seeing straight, seemed to lean in at the exact same moment as well.

It’s a warm kiss, as Mad Dog’s hands grip firmly onto his waist. Archie doesn’t know what to do with his, except tug on the neckline of his tank top. He closes his fist on it as their lips press together, clasping onto the moment. It’s real.

When they pull away, Archie feels himself blushing all over. He knows how red he gets, it was a little bit of a joke with Veronica, who found it endearing, but Mad Dog doesn’t say anything or react in any way that he’s used to.

Instead, he looks like he’s deep in thought, almost confused by it all.

Archie’s smile fades away.

“I didn’t know that’s how you felt about me, Red.”

“I—” 

“You should go help your dad,” Mad Dog says, cocking his head towards the window. “We’ve got all night to talk.”

Before Archie can even move, Mad Dog brushes past him and kisses him on the cheek, brushing a hand through his hair. He feels him smiling against his face, and Archie can’t help but lean into him a little before their bodies separate again.

“You’re always catching me off-guard, you know that?” Mad Dog says, wiping down the tabletop from the flour and sugar scattered everywhere. “Go, I’ll clean up a bit before your dad comes in. I want to leave a good impression if I’ll be coming over more often.”

A flood of relief washes over him. He breaks into a grin. “Starting with tonight?”

“It’s a done deal.”

 


End file.
